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Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Cloudy skies and lofty mountains: Bisle Ghat

Fringed by the lofty mountains
and dotted by the lush green rain forests, the Western Ghats are a favourite
amongst travellers, photographers and naturalists. The Western Ghat range that starts
from the border of Gujarat and Maharashtra and runs approximately 1600 kms
through the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu is a
home to many hill stations.

Located in Hasan district’s Sakleshpur
taluka, Bisle ghat is not a very popular tourist destination unlike other hills
in Karnataka. It was recommended by a biker friend who went on an expedition
with his friend a couple of weeks back. Even though we were warned that the
roads are bad, my blogger friends and I embarked on our little expedition into
the hills.

About 120 kms from Mangalore,
with its panoramic view of the hills and streams, lays Bisle. It is a good
three hours drive, out of which the last one hour is an uphill drive. Besides,
the route involves 18 kms of off-roading through the hills. The ride wasn’t
very steep, but as told to us earlier, it was very bumpy. But the sense of
tranquillity we experienced as we crossed the dense forests and rivulets along
the way was divine. The scenic view coaxed us to stop by every now and then and
enjoy the peaceful ambience. This trail is every adventure seeking bikers
haven!

Around five kilometres towards
Kukke Subramanya, a famous temple in South India, lays the beauty spot of Bisle
known as Bisle view point. From here we could see the mountain ranges of three
districts of Karnataka; Kumar Parvatha of Dakshin Kannada district, Pushpa Giri
and Dodda Betta of Coorg district and Enni Kallu of Hassan district. The entire
valley covered in a green carpet of trees and foliage is seen from here.
Another unique feature of the view point is the Giri River separating all the
three mountain ranges.

There is a Government built structure that allows you to sit and bask in the serenity of the place. As it is rightly said, the hills are a solution to every problem. And it is so true! The time spent in the arms of nature, disconnected from the world back home, away from gadgets and connectivity, was indeed rejuvenating. A perfect weekend getaway for people living in Karnataka and the surrounding states.